More Than A Monster
by Loteva
Summary: Oneshot. Between S7 and S8. Small spoilers of 8.01. The beginnings aren't easy, especially when you're stranded in Purgatory. Dean and Benny friendship fic. / The side story about Benny finding the way out of Purgatory is up!
1. More Than A Monster

Title: More Than A Monster

Author: Loteva

Written: 01-03.12.2012

Time: Between S7 and S8.

Warning: Small spoilers for 7.01.

Summary: The beginnings aren't easy, especially when you're stranded in Purgatory. Friendship fic.

Standard disclaimer applies.

* * *

Dean didn't trust Benny. At all.

Seriously, how could he trust anything in Purgatory, let alone a monster, a vampire? He would have to be monumentally stupid, no, actually brain-dead to make such a mistake. Just a glimpse of the ghastly suit of fangs made his skin crawl. No matter that the thing saved his life choosing him over its vamp buddy, no matter that it claimed to know the way out of Purgatory – Dean wasn't going to trust it. Ever.

The monster is and always will be the monster, no exceptions. Dean would not fall for its tricks and get stabbed in the back, his arteries drained until they run dry. Benny would be watched with utmost suspicion and prejudice, that Dean could promise.

_One wrong move, buddy... _Dean's hand slid down the flat of his makeshift machete in a loving caress. _One wrong move..._

* * *

Everything about his companion irked the hunter beyond measure. True to his word, he's kept constant guard around him, never showing his back and the thing had the gall to crack a few smiles at him, clearly amused with his visible distrust and twitchy fingers frequently going for a gun but pulling away.

The most unnerving was the uncertainty. For the life of him, Dean couldn't get a read on the vampire. Benny gave away nothing. His poker face would put most professional gamblers to shame. Dean would have been impressed if he didn't have the recurring urge to perform a preventive strike and take out what he perceived as the biggest threat around him. Only Benny's supposed knowledge of the way out stilled his hand.

The monster had an advantage over him – it knew perfectly well he wouldn't kill it if there was a chance it was telling the truth. Dean didn't have such a luxury. He had no way to confirm its sincerity, to ensure it wasn't playing a game and waiting for an opportunity to slash his throat open and feed to its undead heart's content. He tried to bait it, purposely slipping up and leaving openings, but it never took any. With great reluctance Dean had to concede that the monster was one smart cookie, as it kept itself in check, never underestimating his ability to waste it, given the slightest provocation.

There was nothing to do but move onwards, looking for a wayward angel, with all too rare stops for a breather, interrogating and killing all which they encountered on their way. As they could be loosely termed as 'allies', they were on a first-name basis. The familiarity grated on the hunter's nerves even more than their easy cooperation during the fights, though Dean was loathe to admit he could work well with a vampire. However, the hardest pill to swallow was the fact that he came to depend on the thing, whose intentions he didn't fully trust, to survive.

The thing's name was Benny. But in Dean's mind it was always the monster.

* * *

Surprisingly, it was Benny who initiated their first conversation not necessarily pertaining to their quest.

'I'm sure, you've noticed a hell of a lot of the differences here from back on Earth,' he started casually.

Dean looked away from his machete, which he was wiping on the sparse vegetation. 'You mean, the no sleeping and eating deal? That's pretty hard to miss. What of it?'

'The Purgatory's gotten to you, if you still didn't catch on this,' the vampire chuckled with a gleam of a fang.

Dean's hand instinctively gripped the handle of his blade firmly, which didn't escape Benny's notice.

'Relax, friend,' he said wryly. 'I've meant no offense.'

'Then what have you meant?' Dean bit out.

'That the same rules apply to everyone here,' the vampire answered tersely, apparently wanting him to work it out himself. The hunter didn't disappoint.

'You feel no thirst? As in, you're not on some bloodsucking rehab, you just don't need it?'

'Bingo,' Benny inclined his head. 'You got it on the first try. That's what I like about you.'

Dean chose to ignore that comment, more absorbed by implications of this new discovery.

'Wait, but the monsters have been attacking me practically non-stop since I've gotten here, and you say they aren't really hungry and in mood for some human meat?'

Benny smirked. 'I said that they don't need to, not that they don't want to,' he replied nonchalantly. 'It's more of the psychological drive, the instinct to feed.'

'What about vampires? Do they drink other monsters' blood? Half a loaf is better than none, right?'

'Some of them. But there's something which is almost as good as human blood,' Benny revealed.

'Oh yeah, I know vampires can live off animal blood, but there isn't any here, too.'

'No, not that vile, smelly stuff,' Benny grimaced. 'Vampire blood.'

Dean gaped at him. 'No way. You're pulling my leg.'

Benny shook his head. 'It's true. Vampire blood is the most similar to human blood. After all, we were born human first.'

'So, all of you here are feeding on each other?' Dean asked, half-fascinated and half-weirded out by the prospect.

The vampire looked repulsed by that notion. 'Hell, no, that's disgusting.'

'You've just said it tastes similar,' Dean pointed out dryly.

'I also hear human meat tastes similar to beef. Would you eat it?'

Dean made a face.

'So there. Cannibalism doesn't exist only for humans. Though some of you do it anyways,' the vampire remarked snidely.

'And they become monsters for it,' Dean shot back defensively, thinking about the Benders family and wendigos.

Benny gave a short laugh. 'You got me there. Though what do you think can happen to monster who becomes a cannibal? It can't become a monster again, so what's really stopping it?'

Dean didn't have time to answer, as their chat was cut short by a new vicious attack by a pair of ghouls. After they disposed of the stinkies, working together like a well-oiled machine, they resumed the search for Castiel, not returning to that particular topic, which didn't mean the issue didn't weigh on Dean's mind quite heavily.

Maybe it wasn't some kind of atrocity which was lurking behind Benny's calm, piercing blue eyes?

* * *

They were surrounded.

Three stepped from behind the trees and stood in their way. A quick look back spotted another two, both left and right were also barred by twos.

All vampires.

Dean cursed vilely under his breath, adjusting his grip on the machete's handle to the more comfortable. The odds weren't in his favour but he would be damned if he didn't make some heads roll...

'Well, well, well. What do we have here? Is that you, Benny? I didn't see you in a while,' drawled the lead vamp, pale, long-haired and sporting a slight French accent.

'Hugo. I'm always delighted to see you,' Benny's tone couldn't be further from delighted. 'Though I'm 'fraid we'll have to catch up some other time, my friend and I are in a bit of a hurry.'

Dean was busy keeping an eye on the goons, but he didn't miss the 'friend' remark. For some reason, in this moment it seemed to him more important and noteworthy than wherever Benny casually used this word to refer to him.

'Oh, don't leave us so soon. You should definitely introduce your... friend. He looks absolutely...' Hugo licked his lips hungrily, the fangs showing, while he eyed Dean, '… delicious.'

'I suggest you keep your fangs to yourself and leave,' Benny said threateningly, all pretenses gone.

'What, you don't want to share a blood bag? We're not going to give you sepsis.' Hugo didn't take the threat seriously, but instead toyed with him.

'He's my ticket out, not a blood bag.'

Benny's declaration brought a sense of warmth to Dean. Certainly, it was a huge relief to confirm that the guy didn't view him as an emergency rations.

Hugo burst out laughing. 'You still believe in this load of crap? That a human can leave this box safely and take someone along for a ride? That's a hoax, a made up story for those too damn naive for their own good! Get real, Benny, there's no escape! Better stop this fool's errand and join us!' the vampire leader reached out his hand to him in invitation.

Dean looked at Benny, knowing that this was it, the final moment of truth, in which the vampire shows his true colours. If he accepted the offer and joined Hugo's cohorts, Dean was as good as a goner. Now, he would know if the little amount of trust he has placed in his ally wasn't misguided after all.

Benny took a few steps forward, reaching out his hand to grasp Hugo's welcoming one, with a relieved smile playing on his lips... Dean's heart squeezed painfully, already feeling the burn of betrayal... then in one, quick motion Benny's other hand took a swing and his machete went through a thin neck and spinal cord like hot knife through butter. Hugo's head landed splat on the dewy ground cover, a pleased smile still fixed on his face.

Dean would have liked Benny to say something badass, but there was no time for that, when there were eight angry vampires to take care of. The partners stood back to back, falling into the rhythm of the battle and synchronizing their movements with each other. And even though they were surrounded by enemies, their situation nearly hopeless, it felt as if they were close to invincible, able to face and overcome the highest odds stacked against them – together.

It was exhilarating.

After the fight, when the film of joy and red was lifted from Dean's eyes, he surveyed the scene of a bloodbath with disbelief that they actually took on eight vampires at once and defeated them, but eight beheaded bodies spoke volumes for the reality of that. He turned to Benny, who has just finished rifling through Hugo's pockets with no valuable finds to show, and playfully slapped his arm.

'Benny, we did it! We've wasted eight bastards!' he exclaimed giddily.

Benny returned the gesture. 'Yeah. Never liked that jackass Hugo and his cronies.'

'Me too. Guess they wanted to bite more than they could chew, huh?'

It wasn't the most witty thing to say for Dean, but it didn't stop both of them from laughing together, merrily and unrestrained, for a moment forgetting about the harsh reality of Purgatory.

The ice was broken.

* * *

Following the annihilation of Hugo's gang, Dean found it a lot easier to relax in Benny's presence. All the tension which was prevalent between them in the first days of their journey vanished.

They talked. Not much, but enough to learn more about each other and recognize they shared a lot of similarities.

'So, you're sticking with me, because I'm your 'ticket out'?' Once Dean couldn't help himself to ask.

'Well, for sure it's not for your pretty eyes,' Benny replied lightly.

As they made eye contact, the silent understanding passed between them. Sometimes words just weren't needed for two like-minded spirits.

'But, you know, Hugo had a point – how do you even know this gate for humans really exist?' Dean queried after a while had passed, genuinely curious.

'I don't. But I have my sources,' came a cryptic answer.

'Such as?'

Benny ignored the question. 'Let me ask you something in return – how do you know the angel's not Leviathan's snack by now? How do you know he can go through with us?'

Dean swallowed, struck down by the completely justified doubt contained in these words. Because, really, how many times everything worked out well for him in the end comparatively to how many times he was screwed over? How many times Cas can escape death before he runs out of his luck, mojo, reserve of second lives, whatever it is that's bringing him back?

He took a deep breath and looked Benny straight into the eyes.

'Cas is my friend. I know I can trust him to take care of himself,' he spoke with unshakable, unwavering conviction, which burned brightly in his sharp, determined eyes. 'We can and we will find him, Benny, and then I'll shove his feathery ass through that gate even if it kills me.'

'Well then, to answer your previous question, my sources weren't exactly my friends but I know they had no reason to lie to me. Besides, I had been looking for the way out since I've gotten here and I'm pretty sure this one is the real deal.'

Benny didn't break the eye contact, his gaze equally determined and convicted of the truth of his statement. They reached an understanding of two beings who gambled their whole lives on something as fragile as faith and trust. Dean had to ask himself – did it make them incredibly brave or just plain stupid?

'You know, we've gotta kick your source's collective ass, if it doesn't work,' he said in a lighter tone

'Only one way to find out.' Benny smirked.

* * *

They had been searching high and low, leaving no stone unturned, to find the information on Castiel's whereabouts. They had weathered the storms, emerging victorious from everything Purgatory had thrown at them until finally, against all odds they've managed to achieve their goal.

Dean didn't know when Benny stopped being that vampire who was tagging along with him and became a true comrade. This radical change in his view crept up on the hunter silently, undetected until it was too late to fight it. And just as he realized there was more to Benny than a monster, concurrently he knew that they were more than allies.

Of one thing Dean was explicitly sure – he trusted Benny with his life.

* * *

_Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival._

- C. S. Lewis

* * *

A/N: I've written this fic surprisingly fast for me, with knowledge about Benny up to 8.08. I'm open for all the opinions, critiques, suggestions and advice. Also, please feel free to vote in the poll on my profile.

Would anyone be interested in a story about how Benny found out about the way out of Purgatory?


	2. Side Story

Title: Side Story – How Benny Had Found Out About The Way Out Of Purgatory

Author: Loteva

Written: 4-5.12.2012

Revised: 15.12.2012

Time: Set before 8.09.

A/N: A big thank you to all the reviewers and others who has supported this story! Special thanks to **flyei** for the helpful feedback, thanks to which I made some revisions.

What happens next is all my imagination, so no spoilers. Enjoy!

Standard disclaimer applies.

* * *

'You know, you've never told me how did you know how to get out from Purgatory,' Dean took a mouthful of his beer with great relish.

The hunter and his unconventional, vampiric friend were sitting at the table at the low-key club, sharing a drink. It was the night of the long-awaited celebration of their daring escape from God's box. They had every intention to unwind while imbibing a copious amounts of alcohol and they were on the good way to fulfilling that agenda.

'There's not much to talk about,' Benny shrugged his shoulders.

'Aw, c'mon! You've got to give me something!' Dean insisted.

The vampire just smiled and sipped on his beer amusedly, but didn't say a thing. The hunter decided to give up for a while.

Their talk revolved around the usual, lighthearted topics – women, cars, TV series. Benny, having seen 'Full Moon in High School', was surprised by the modern take on the vampirism and they joked about it. They didn't touch on family subjects – Benny had none to speak of and Dean's relationship with his brother was somewhat strained at the moment. Of course, he didn't admit it out loud but when Benny's asked earlier about Sam's whereabouts, Dean's fake chuckle and comment that 'he's being bitchy back at the motel' didn't fool the vampire for a second. He wisely chose not to pry.

On the other hand, Dean didn't forget for a second that his friend still didn't answer his question. After a little more prodding and a beer Benny finally gave in.

'You really want to know?' he asked. Having received a serious nod, he paused for a short while, weighing something in his mind and then began his story with a peculiar gleam in the eyes.

'Alright, it was around two years ago...'

* * *

Spending more or less fifty years in Purgatory was no walk in the park, even for someone as bull-headed and tenacious as Benny. The vampire should have been over too many times to count, most likely killed in a gruesome way by some monster. Despite that, he prevailed, his quest for the way out giving him the strength to go on.

However, sometimes, even in the life of the most devoted one to the cause, there comes a moment of doubt. And after the fruitless search of fifty years, Benny was feeling it all too acutely, the constant disappointment of finding only the dead ends leaving its profound mark on his soul.

He was a step away from the edge when he saw her.

She looked like a ghost – pale, colourless and nearly transparent, but she couldn't be one, not in Purgatory. He was unable to say whether she was stunningly beautiful or disgustingly ugly, as her features and contours were too blurred to see. There was something obscurely terrifying about her, in the unnatural stillness but even more in the two holes in the place of eyes, which radiated white inner fire. Her gaze penetrated Benny meticulously, making him feel naked and vulnerable, as if he was an exhibit under a magnifying glass. What shook him to the core was the fact that she had immobilized him against his will, with just a stare!

'Hello, child,' she greeted him, sounding ethereally.

Benny gathered his wits and gave a reply she was apparently waiting for.

'Hello.' Then, he dared to ask 'Who are you?'

She smiled from what he could tell; she could have as easily bared her teeth in a snarl.

'My name is Eve and I am the First.' Before the vampire could decipher what she's meant by that, she stunned him once again. 'What's troubling you, Benny?'

'How do you...'

'… know? A mother always knows when her child is feeling unwell,' she explained tranquilly.

'But you're not my human mother or my maker,' Benny reasoned the improbability of her parental claim.

Eve laughed heartily, though in the vampire's ears it sounded more menacing than merry. He got a distinct impression he was a step away from instant obliteration, his survival instinct kicking in and demanding from him to 'Move!' But he couldn't, stuck still in one place.

'Such a naughty boy. Should I teach you to respect your mother properly?' she said teasingly, then with a telekinetic shove Benny landed roughly on his knees. He swallowed a scream when the phantom fingers squeezed his kidneys.

'I'm sorry, mother!' he gasped out.

The pressure disappeared and, having been released from the mental grip, Benny stood up shakily.

'Good answer,' Eve smiled or so he thought. 'Now be a sweetheart and tell me why were you so depressed, my son? Don't you like the hunting grounds?' Though her words were kind, the undertone suggested it wasn't a question but an order.

'I've been looking for a way out of Purgatory but it's no use,' he decided to go with the plain truth.

'I see.' Eve gave him another searching, deep look over. 'Yes, it was amusing to watch you struggle and fail for all these years, so I guess you deserve a payback of sorts.'

Benny felt too much dread at the thought of what she considered a 'payback', if her previous handling of him was in the category of a 'love tap,' to be angry that she's known of his misery all along. As she leaned over to him, he closed his eyes.

'It's a big secret, so don't babble it out, my dear son. Do we have an agreement?' she whispered in his ear.

Benny nodded.

'Good. To escape Purgatory, you have to...'

* * *

'… and when she didn't want to spill the beans, I pinned the bitch down and slapped 'til she had enough and told me everything I needed,' Benny finished his story and washed down the dryness in his throat with the cold beer.

Dean looked at him incredulously.

'… Dude, you bitch-slapped the freaking Mother of All Monsters to get the secret info?'

'At the time, I didn't know who she really was. But, yeah, I did,' Benny confirmed with a straight face. The effect was promptly ruined by the slight upturn of his lips. The two friends exchanged a meaningful glance and burst out laughing rambunctiously.

'Oh man, that was good... you've almost got me there... if only I was more drunk...' Dean wheezed out between uncontrollable laughs.

'What gave me away?' Benny asked with a grin, when they finally calmed down.

'You smiled a little at the end.'

'Thought so.'

'But still... the bitch told you herself, just like that? You're a real piece of work,' Dean shook his head with incredulity.

'I know.'

'And modest too.'

Benny smirked.

The hunter regarded him knowingly. The humour was a good way to create subterfuge but he was more than proficient in reading between the lines. The slight, almost imperceptible strain in the vampire's features when he'd been telling the story, the shadow passing over his eyes for a second there – it painted a fundamentally different picture than the one Benny was trying to sell. Dean recognized all these signs with the familiarity born from the mastery of such tactics. However, he chose to play along.

'Anyway, here's to the Bitch Mommy! May she rest in peace forever!' Dean raised his beer, successfully ending this train of thought. They weren't there to mope!

'I can drink to that,' Benny murmured agreeably.

They clinked the bottles and drained them in one go, then ordered another round.

The night was still young and the celebration has just started, after all.

The End


End file.
